Saturday, December 6, 2014

Roving Pittsburgher Report, World Premiere L’Hotel Brings Life and Laughter

PPT’s World Premiere L’Hotel
Brings Life and Laughter

to the O’Reiley Theater.

By Megan
Grabowski

On Thursday
evening, November 20, 2014 I traversed downtown to the O’Reiley Theater for my
first world premiere. Pittsburgh Public Theaters (PPT) debut of L’Hotel, by Ed
Dixon, a unique and intelligent comedy lured a vastly astute audience into the
invitingly bright playhouse. I was
merely aware of the shows plot before sitting down in my seat and skimming the
program. That turned out to be o.k., as
the actors were so true to character I never once felt I was missing a
beat. The performance of L’Hotel is an
all-inclusive dose of culture for Pittsburghers who may not be familiar with all
of the artists portrayed in the show.
Theatergoers will be driven to investigate the characters unfamiliar to
them after experiencing the dramatists’ flair for language and his intimate
knowledge of each artiste under the skillful direction of Ted Pappas.

Deanne Lorette as Sarah Bernhardt and Daniel Hartley as Jim Morrison.

The show
takes place, today, in the lobby of a posh French hotel,occupied by an
eclectic group; Victor Hugo, Isadora Duncan, Gioachino Rossini, Oscar Wilde,
Sarah Bernhardt, Jim Morrison and the hotel’s loyal waiter. Act 1 begins with the animated and adorable
waiter bustling with the hurriedness only a perfectionist server can deliver;
setting tables, straightening linens, pouring beverages before the hotel’s
guests arrive; almost giddy with anticipation. First to appear for morning cafe is the
greatest and best known French writer, Victor Hugo, followed by Oscar
Wilde. The two literary minds sit at
different tables and immediately begin to insult one another, a practice that
follows the guests throughout the show.
Annoying? Hardly, as the jabs
consistently thrown across the stage between the actors contain brief spurts of
biographical detail allowing the audience to collect tidbits of historical
truths about the personalities.

The
strings of witticisms are brilliantly crafted. Only a writer schooled in the
masterworks of each character could conjure.
The verbal pokes and prods pick fun at each characters iconic flaw,
inevitably acknowledging the time period of their lifetime and success. No
sooner does the audience begin to wonder why these 6 antiquated artists are dining,
clearly they can scarcely tolerate one another, when they answer that through
their banter.

The jests, which skillfully span centuries, incorporate each
person’s life miseries and awaken the harsh realities of their personal
purgatory; confined to L’Hotel. Together
they are doomed to repeat the behaviors and dismal thoughts they harbored
during life. Their connection to one
another, each are buried in Pere Lachaise Cemetery in Paris, France. Each a celebrity during their lifetime is now condemned
to live out eternity as guests in L’Hotel. Much of their time appears to be
spent chastising each other, and attempting to validate their own self- worth by
talking about how great they are at creating; constantly striving to outdo the
other in stardom.

The
arbitrariness of the guests, author Victor Hugo, composer Gioachion Rossini, actress
Sarah Bernhardt, dancer Isadora Duncan, novelist and playwright Oscar Wilde and
rock musician Jim Morrison, jointly generate a synergy of stereotypical
artistic traits; egotism, arrogance and eccentric behavior that produce
consistent laughter from the audience. Despite
the cast’s woeful reminiscing of being, they unite during the development of a
scheme to return one of them back to the land of the living. The plan is initiated after a young girl
visits the cemetery and leaves behind a bouquet of flowers on the grave of an
unknown person. Nothing incites the deceased
celebrities more than seeing someone pay homage to a no-body.

The
absurdity continues as the cast deliberates messages delivered through the Ouija
Board. Upon Bernhardt’s encouragement,
the dead guests seek advice from other spirits about how to attain the means
for rebirth. The unusual plot and the
sharp dialogue make this show full of energy and genuine entertainment.

Each
actor is undeniably cast appropriately and they work flawlessly together. The waiter,
played by Evan Zes has perfected comedic timing. He charms the audience with his knack for
hustle and attention to detail as he strives to meet the needs of his
patrons. His characters warmth and
honesty toward life and death emanate on stage and keep the audience grounded.

Sam
Tsoutsouvas cast as Victor Hugo portrays a highbrowed spirit who compulsively
condescends each guest continually throughout the course of the play. It is his disturbing reserve of emotion and a
deep seeded arrogance which prevents him from fully bonding with any other
character. His loftiness inhibits any ability for him to let go of the past and
move forward in the ethereal realm. It is his role as a somber spirit, and Tsoutsouvas’s
deep and sullen voice combined with his depiction of overtly forced self- worth,
that permit me to believe he is Hugo.

Brent Harris
portrays Oscar Wilde with the flamboyancy and raunchiness I imagine he would possess
if alive today. Harris mastered the
knack of gesturing while speaking, swaggering across the stage in a loud
colored suit and retorting Hugo’s incessant insults with humor and guile. He spends
a great deal of time self- examining his soul while wrestling with his
spiritual demons, but it is the moments when Wilde is alone on stage speaking to
his long- lost lover with passion and yearning that Harris truly engages the
audience. We listen, quietly, during
these solemn moments, laughter subsides; Wilde’s pain is nearly tangible.

Brent Harris as Oscar Wilde.

Kati
Brazda, sways across the stage, madly flinging her arms about, spinning, brushing
the floor with her fingertips. Brazda overstates
Duncan’s sadness, her regrets and her revelries through movement; through
dance. Brazda’s presence on stage,
depicting dancer Isadora Duncan, is enthusiastically exaggerated. Duncan, although eager to unearth the steps
toward reincarnation, also realizes the reality of her place. She needs confirmation from the world that
she is still influential and she attempts to draw this from her cast mates as
she sashays across stage in a satin gown.
These eccentricities flow naturally from Brazda and I enjoyed listening
to her speak of her time on the stage, communicating through movement. This
zeal makes her a perfect accompaniment to Italian composer Gioachino Rossini,
played by Tony Triano. Duncan is patient
and kind toward Rossini’s naiveté.

While Triano
plays up the gullible nature of the composer, who despite an appearance of
flightiness is sincerely a musical genius Rossini ignores the matter of death altogether. He is a grand lover of life
and his ability to produce and create beauty through writing music; he does not
like the thought of being dead. Triano is stocky in stature and this adds to
Rossini’s delight in eating. Triano
conveys Rossini’s pride by ensuring he speaks sincerely about his art and ignores
most of the zingers Hugo, Wilde and Morrison throw at him. Rossini never loses sight of his desire to
continue composing so he pursues the opportunity to be born again.

Daniel
Hartley cast as Jim Morrison, the musical guile behind The Doors. Morrison, a sex object even after death, wrecked
his career with drinking and drugs and inevitably fashioned his own demise. Morrison’s character maintains the same self-
destructive behaviors throughout L’Hotel. His first appearance involves retching
loudly off stage, then sauntering on in leather pants, sunglasses, smoking a
cigarette and requesting a beer for breakfast.
Morrison does not regret how he
lived, but is remorseful that he is no longer alive. Hartley’s display of
Morrison’s coolness and immortal attitude is something the audience can relate to
on a number of levels. The role requires Hartley wear leather pants and gyrate
his hips while brazenly referring to sexual exploits. More important is Hartley’s responsibility to
demand the audience connect with him through reflection. What does it mean to
be a celebrity in the 21st century?
Who deserves our revere? Far too
often the world loses a brilliant talent to drugs, alcohol or other negative behaviors.Hartley’s portrayal of Morrison made me question
my choice of idols.Who do I think
deserves the fame, fortune and recognition?

Who do I think will be famous for just 15 minutes?What do celebrities really want to be
remembered for?What do I want to be
remembered for after I die?

Sarah
Bernhardt, ‘the most famous actress the world has ever known’ played by Deanne
Lorette, is showy, proud, and overly dramatic.
She knows she was a renowned star and doesn’t hesitate to remind the
others. She holds steadfast to her reputation
as a serious actress and uses her natural inclination toward the theater to
lead the Ouija expedition. She cajoles
the remaining cast members with her vivacity to follow her as she contacts
spirits, requesting instructions for escape.
Bernhardt insists she is no longer dramatic, but through Lorette’s
hysterical interpretation we see Bernhardt as an eternal actress on and off
stage, in life and after death.

The
young woman, played by Erika Cuenca is refreshing in her grief. She is real and tormented. She agonizes over modern
day difficulties. She speaks from the heart and unintentionally unites the cast
in a demented and twisted manner without flinching. She begs for someone to hear her and Hugo,
Duncan, Wilde, Bernhardt, Rossini and Morrison holler back. These traits are the
only aspects that impede a complete suspension of
disbelief.

Playwright
Ed Dixon, has captured the essence of each character through dialogue and an
original concept. His familiarity of
each character is uncanny as he attempts to have them shape the modern day
images and ideals of an afterlife. The audience is left with a sense of ease, pondering
our long held beliefs. Perhaps the uncertainty is not as frightening as we have
thought. Or maybe more so! Either way, Pappas,
Pittsburgh’s stage mastermind, seizes the crux of each artist’s true being. Through his impeccable direction 6 characters
manage to transcend time and space on the stage of the O’Reiley, offering the
audience they type of randomness that really makes a person wonder.